◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 6-2 Rakuten Eagles (26th, ES CON FIELD)

The best feeling lingered in both his hands. Nippon-Ham infielder Naoki Arizono (23) ran at full speed, watching the ball soar in the opposite direction. In the bottom of the 4th inning with two outs and the score 2-1, he connected with a 142 km/h outside pitch from Takinaka, sending his first professional home run to bullpen in right field. "The moment I connected with it, I thought, 'Did it go?' and as I ran, I heard a roar of cheers, and it felt great." His cheeks flushed with excitement at his first home run in his 58th at-bat in his 5th year as a professional.

Manager Shinjo's decision to put him in the leadoff spot assisted in the celebration. The day before, the manager had sent him a direct message telling him that he would be batting leadoff for the first time in his professional career and saying, "Just don't struck out in your first at-bat." In his first at-bat, doble curveball on the second pitch for a double to right-center field. "I didn't want to regret letting the ball go by. I was able to prepare well with the analyst," he said, and his ability to hit good pitches led to a spectacular performance with 3 hit 2 RBI.

Last season, he had a batting average of .306, 18 Home Run, and an on-base percentage of .390 in the minor leagues, winning three titles in the Eastern League, but struggled in the major leagues with only 7 hit. This season, he says he learned "the mindset of home run hitter" from hitting coach Yokoo, and thoroughly analyzed how he was being pitched to. He organized his thoughts, developed the ability to see the bigger picture, and raised his level as a long-ball hitter.

Manager Shinjo was very excited, saying, "Congratulations to your family. And your girlfriend. I don't know if you have one (laughs). Anyway, congratulations!" He praised the hit to the opposite field, saying, "It looked like he pushed it in the opposite direction with his right thigh. It looked like McCusker (laughs)," drawing a parallel to the opposing team's 203cm tall slugger. The team has won three straight games and is now tied for its highest win-loss record of the season at 12 games, marking the end of the first half of the season. With the addition of this new power hitter, they are aiming to make a comeback from third place. (Haruki Kawakami)

◆Naoki Arizono: Born May 21, 2003, in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture. Age 23. Started playing baseball in the second grade of elementary school, and played for Sakura Senior in Asahi Junior High School. At Chiba Gakugei High School, he excelled as a two-way Home Run, hitting a total of 70 home runs and throwing at a top speed of 148 km/h. Drafted in the second round in 2021 by Nippon-Ham Fighters. This season, he underwent surgery in April for a fracture of the hamate bone in his left hand. He returned to active play in June. 185 cm, 104 kg. Right-handed pitcher and batter. Single. Estimated annual salary this season is 7.3 million yen.